


The Wandering Wind

by Arvalee Knight (AvaWhiteRaven)



Category: Original Work
Genre: F/M, Fantasy, Multi, Romance, Supernatural - Freeform, Vampire Hunters, Werewolf, Werewolf Hunters, Werewolves, Witches, Young Love, vampire
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-02
Updated: 2019-06-22
Packaged: 2019-09-02 10:45:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16785397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AvaWhiteRaven/pseuds/Arvalee%20Knight
Summary: Jo Ackland has moved to a new town for the umpteenth time for the sake of her sister and their job. The Acklands come from a long line of respected Hunters but it isn't until Jo starts settling into her temporary home that she learns the truth. As her world begins to unravel, she's faced with making decisions that could ultimately end humanity as we know it.





	1. Chapter 1

Jo clenched the steering wheel. Her fingers were beginning to cramp after the countless hours of being on the road. They hadn’t stopped to eat or drink since they left that rundown motel in Arkansas. It wasn’t anything new for them. Jo had spent a good portion of her childhood working for the sake of her family’s reputation. The Ackland name carried with it a heavyweight, the weight of hundreds of years and the weight of ancestors both famous and infamous.

Although, to be fair, only a specific kind of person would have recognized it. The supernatural kind of person in the supernatural kind of community. It had been instilled in her since childhood that being an Ackland was the most important thing she could ever exist for. And Beth had been the one to instil it.

Jo leaned forward. The dashboard clock explained the heaviness tugging at her eyelids. She fluttered her eyes as she gazed out past the headlights to the darkness that had settled hours ago. She reached over and rolled the windows down, letting the cold night air gush into the car.

The frigid air must have hit Beth hard as she shifted awake in the passenger’s seat. She reached up and grabbed hold of the headrest, stretching her muscles with a groan. “We nearly there?”

"Thirty minutes out." Jo sat up a bit straighter, hoping that the change of positions would relieve some of the pain nibbling her upper thighs.

Beth leaned forward to get a glimpse of the large interstate signs that passed by. “Pull over. I’ll drive the rest of the way.”

"I'm fine. We’re almost there." She pressed her spine against the hard seat, stretched her fingers until they cracked before curling them around the wheel again.

"You've got school in the morning." Beth didn't have to take a look at Jo to know that she was annoyed by the statement. "So, unless you want to fall asleep during class--"

Jo let out a harsh and bitter laugh. "Seriously? It's three in the morning and you're lecturing me about school? When the hell did you start caring about my grades?"

"I don't." Beth pressed her elbow into the center console, her attention fully on her sister. “But I need you at your best.”

“What do you need from me?”

Beth shot back bitterly, “This is a Werewolf town. That means Werewolf kids.”

Jo strangled the wheel, pressing all of her annoyance and anger into it. “You want me keeping an eye on them, is that it?”

“Yeah,” she said matter-of-factly. "I'm setting up a meeting with their leader in the morning. I want you to find out who their kids are just in case we need leverage."

Beth was ten years older than her. Sisters by name only. They shared the same parents and the same blood ran through each other's veins. But Beth had been a mentor and a trainer before she was ever a sister. Jo had a long list of broken bones, bruises, scars, and more especially, nightmares. She was struggling for the sake of her family name. She never questioned it, never questioned why Beth had thrown her into the training pit at a young age. She knew exactly why. She didn’t want to end up like their parents…

Jo rolled her eyes away, suddenly feeling like the young kid that Beth ordered around. When their parents died, she had told Jo to dry her eyes and swallow her fear. Ackland Hunters never cried.

The cold air was beginning to gnaw at her skin. It wasn’t quite winter yet but the icicles clinging to the Ozark cliffs along the roadside proved otherwise. She focused on rolling up the window, choosing to calm her emotions before a fight broke out.

Jo took the first exit towards Sugar Tree. She had no plans to respond to Beth's request. They both knew well enough that Jo would agree to it. They were Ackland Hunters, after all. They did what they had to in order to protect the civilians that lived so ignorantly unaware.

"Whatever happens, do not engage in a fight with anyone." She threw herself back against the seat, groaning with annoyance and exhaustion. Despite how draining the trip was to them, Beth wouldn't have showed it and she expected the same from her younger sibling. "I don't need them to have an excuse to not work with us."

"They called us in," she grumbled under her breath, still laced with the remnants of her irritation. "Why would they suddenly not want to work with us?"

Beth was silent for a moment and Jo felt the intense stare burn into her skin. "You don't think that maybe, just maybe, they might actually want to kill us?”

Jo pressed her lips thin, their edges taut as she desperately tried to focus on the road ahead. "Why are you so determined to believe everyone is trying to kill us?"

She shot up in her seat, brows raised high on her forehead.

"Nevermind! Forget it." Jo threw a hand in the air, a poor attempt at a surrender. "Forget I said anything. Can we just not fight? I don't have the energy right now."

Her mouth opened but whatever heated argument she had was swallowed painfully. Beth turned her eyes out onto the large town of Sugar Tree.

Jo felt the stress claw and knot across the top of her skull and deep into her eyes. She was worn out from an array of emotions that assaulted her the entire journey. She never questioned Beth. She didn't intend on questioning her. But to say that she wasn't emotionally tired... It would be a lie. She'd give anything for a vacation. She'd give anything to be blissfully ignorant of the monsters that haunted the shadows.

Then again, ignorance got people killed. She didn’t want to end up like her parents, she didn’t want to be murdered in the middle of the night. It was their death that brought Beth home. She showed up just in time for the funeral and ask rather coldly if Jo “wanted to end up like them”.

It had been nearly seven years since that night. Jo was older now. It would be her seventeenth birthday in two weeks if the Ackland's bothered to celebrate such things. Thanksgiving was the day before and all they had eaten was a meager meal in an old diner tucked away on some winding back road.

"There." Beth tossed a hand towards the window. Trees were overgrown along the roadside and even without the thickness of leaves the street sign was just barely viewable at the corner.

Her body sighed with relief. She slowed the vehicle down and made the turn, easing along the rocky dirt road in search of the small house they had rented out. She repeated the numbers in her head, 247, and eagerly looked for it upon the passing mailboxes. Jo almost passed it, slamming the breaks and swerving the car down another gravel road.

"Grab a set of clothes and leave the rest. I'll unpack in the morning." Beth was already snapping up her things from the backseat.

Jo stopped the car a short distance from the house just in time because her sister was already throwing open the door. "Beth." She didn't bother looking at her. She was too busy locking her eyes onto the yellow reflective irises that glinted on the porch. Five people, perhaps six. Werewolves, Jo corrected mentally, admiring the way their eyes mirrored the speckled night sky. It was an admiration she would never admit to Beth aloud.

Jo stepped out of the vehicle and stood behind the driver door, head held high as the Wolves stepped off of the porch towards them. She noted where each of them stood and considered the weapons that pressed against her skin. She had a dagger on each leg, a gun holstered at her side, and her sword was stowed in the back seat. She considered Beth's words earlier. This seemed like an ambush but perhaps, if they were lucky, it was a greeting instead.

"Elizabeth Ackland?" A female stepped ahead of the group, unwavered in leaving the safety of her pack. "I wanted to introduce myself and my family."

Beth peered over at Jo, almost casting a look of cynical disregard. She rolled her attention back to the pack. "We're here to do a job--"

"And we will stay out of your way." She glanced over her shoulder, motioning one of them forward. He carried with him an object, silver and glimmering beneath the light of the crescent moon.

Jo’s hand twitched towards her gun. She couldn't quite discern if they were carrying a blade or not.

"But, surely, we can still be kindred neighbors." She took the aluminum pan in hand and stepped forward.

Beth remained steady even as the pan was exchanged. "You brought us... cinnamon rolls."

"That is what neighbors do." She motioned a hand out over the pack. "My children wanted to make a show of peace. My youngest son is in high school." She finally directed her attention towards Jo, resting her eyes as if she had been waiting all night to look upon her.

Jo felt a shiver run down her spine but she suppressed it. She clenched her fingers and let her nails bite sharply into her palm. Jo barely managed a glance at her children but took in each face and features all the same.

"He would be more than happy to--"

"My sister can handle herself," Beth spat, ending whatever suggestion the Wolf mother could provide. "The trip here was long. We'd like to get some sleep."

The Wolf kept her eyes on Jo. Her smile was still strong, perhaps even widening. "He leaves for school around seven thirty. He will show you where everything is." The group moved towards the wintry woodland and she slowly began to join them, her steps precise and elegant.

Beth slammed the car door shut and marched up the path to the house. She said nothing. They may have arrived as a show of peace but their presence would not be seen as such by Beth. She was a Hunter first and foremost. The enemy knowing where she slept was nearly blasphemous in her eyes.

Jo grabbed her bags from the back seat and headed inside. The house was warm, the heat having been turned on by one of the Wolves and she swore she could smell the smoky aroma of a candle having been blown out.

She dropped the bags recklessly at the foot of the stairs and crept through the living room and into the kitchen.

"Unbelievable," Beth muttered, dropping the aluminum pan onto the counter. "They turned the heat on for us." She tossed her hand towards the corner. "Stocked the fridge."

"And baked us cinnamon rolls." Jo popped off the plastic lid and smelled the sweet icing and the spice of cinnamon.

Beth spun sharply on her heel, brows pinched together. "You're not going to eat that. It could be poisoned for all we know."

"Well, if I die..." Jo threw open a few drawers in search of a fork. She lifted it into view mostly for the sake of annoying her sister. "You'll have a good reason to kill them, won't you?"

"Moron." Beth pressed the heel of her hands into her eyes. "I'm going to sleep. And you should too."

"Yeah, yeah." Her enthusiastic mischief faded away. "School."

Beth pointed her fingers at Jo, suddenly remembering the conversation from outside. "You are not going with that... mutt to school. I don't trust him. I don't trust any of them. Take the car for now. We'll find another solution later."

She dug out a huge scoop of one of the rolls, not bothering to find a plate. With her eyes locked on Beth she took the excessive bite into her mouth, a silent challenge to authority. Beth was aware of the challenge but she kept the rest of her comments quiet. She left her younger sister to enjoy the sweetness of the sugary dessert.

  
  
  
  



	2. Chapter 2

Josephine rolled off of the mattress, her jacket a makeshift blanket. She tossed it aside as she got to her feet. It wasn't the worst place they'd ever slept in. There were motels that she questioned whether or not they should be condemned. There were houses with holes in the floor and pipes that rattled at all odd hours. One time they stayed in a house infested with rats. She hated rats.

This house had been chosen by the Wolves in the area, offered to them in exchange for help. To say Beth was unhappy about it was an understatement. She wanted to keep them in the dark about everything, especially their headquarters.

Jo hadn't bothered unpacking most of her things nor did she own any bedclothes. There would have been no point in it. Firstly, they would leave once the mission was complete and secondly, it would have been more weight to lug around. And Beth's old two door hardly had any room in the trunk or the backseat. Life as an Ackland was summed up into carrying around only the essentials: clothes, weapons, gauze. And, honestly, the gauze was questionable.

She savored the morning shower and the heat that seeped down into her bones. She threw on some new clothes, ruffled her hair up into a sloppily done bun, and moved to the kitchen. She still felt full from the dessert last night, gorging down every last cinnamon roll from the pan. Beth wouldn't have eaten any of it anyway. And she probably would have tossed it in the trash the first chance she got.

It was still dark outside, the country night darker without city lights or the moon. She set the coffee pot into motion, watching as the early morning sunrise began its ascent over the barren landscape. Jo couldn't quite remember the last time she had taken a moment to really admire something, anything really. It always felt as if her life was rushing from one moment to the next, not even a breath in between.

She'd drunk half her cup of coffee when the motorcycle came revving down the gravel road. It pulled to a stop in front of their small shabby house. The sleek black helmet glistened as he turned his attention to her in the window.

Beth had been adamant against her going with the Wolf. A part of her, the Ackland part of her, wanted to follow her sister's wishes. She wanted to be the intelligent Hunter, the skilled and trained killer who trusted no one.

But there was a part of Josephine that wanted to be a free spirited teenager. She wanted to jump at the chance of riding the bike and to infuriate Beth like any rebelling youth. She didn't just want to ride a motorcycle. She wanted to drive one.

Jo placed the mug onto the counter, snatched up her worn canvas rucksack, and stepped out the front door. She watched him slowly remove the helmet, run his fingers into the short tufts of his black hair. His skin was golden, his eyes were just as piercing as the precious metal.

The Hunter in her took over, voice harsh as she spat, "My sister made it clear that you weren't supposed to be here."

He set his helmet onto his knee, a tilt of his head and a quirk of a smile. His gaze swept along her form, briefly eyeing her backpack. "You always do what your sister tells you?"

Jo rolled her lip against her teeth and took a step forward. She reached out for the helmet and he casually handed it over, eyes locked onto hers. "If I'm going with you then I'm driving."

He huffed and tossed his attention away, looking out at the road then back at her rather cockily. "You ever drove one of these before?”

Jo sashayed confidently forward. She pressed her hand against his chest, shoving him back just enough to let him know that he needed to make room for her. "I'm naturally talented at everything."

He slowly licked the parted smile that was twitching to life. “Alright. Let's see how talented you really are, huntress.” He moved further back on the bike, even being so bold as to motion his hand over the spot between his legs.

Jo straightened her spine, arrogantly climbing into the seat and slipping the helmet over her skull. Her instincts told her not to but she was tired of being responsible, tired of being an Ackland. She peered over her shoulder at him, noted the curl on the corner of his mouth. “I’ll try not to crash.”

He gave a huff of a breath, still shocked by her audacity. “I’m the Werewolf here. You crash and I’ll walk away clean.”

“I wouldn’t say clean…” She tossed her shoulder before twisting the key and starting the engine. “It’ll take you what… two days to mend the broken leg and arm… Even longer if my sister steps in.”

The heavy weight of his hand fell onto her hips, the heat of his body enveloping her backside. He was leaning forward, brave and dangerous, letting his breath brush across the exposed skin of her neck. The helmet kept much of her features hidden, otherwise he’d have seen clearly the thrill that sparked. “You planning on driving or... just teasing?”

“I didn’t realize you were so easily teased.” She cleared her throat, noting how strained her tone had been.

His hand quickly jolted to the handlebar, halting her before she could rev the bike into action. “The trick is to… hold the accelerator gently. The softer the touch the easier the ride.”

Her lips pulled wide into a smile and she was thankful he couldn't see it. She made sure her voice was even, “Anything else I should know, Wof?”

“My name’s Wyatt.” He chuckled, chest vibrating against her spine. “Yeah… I'll show you exactly what you need.” His large palms enveloped hers, tenderly squeezing as they both held onto the handlebars.

Josephine smiled widely, a giddiness tightening in her chest. She let his hands accelerate the bike, allowed him to turn the wheel until they were carefully driving back down the gravel road. But Jo didn’t want to be careful. She was never really good at it. The moment the wheels touched asphalt, she was tightening her grip on the gas and speeding down the highway.

Wyatt was bold enough to point her along the way, leading her through the large country town to the high school building. His hands returned to her hips though, somewhat squeezing them in a way Jo thought might have been provocative if he wasn’t her enemy. She knew the wolves were only paying her attention because she was an Ackland, a Huntress. They needed to be on her family’s good side.

Jo parked the motorcycle in the first spot she found. She pulled the helmet off of her head, hair nearly spilling out of the bun she had put it in that morning.

“Not too bad for your first.”

She huffed, fingers shoving her hair back. She unsaddled the motorcycle, his hands on her hips vanishing. Jo pressed the helmet into his chest with a smirk. “What can I say? Naturally talented.” She turned to walk away but he reached out and snagged hold of her wrist.

His fingers slipped down to brush along the soft skin of her hand. “Need me to show you where everything is?”

Jo grinned and stepped away from him. “Nah…” She pulled the band out of her messy hair, gathering it up again into a bun. “All these high schools look the same… Office, counselor, resource officer…” She tossed a shoulder and then waltzed down the sidewalk to what looked like the entrance.

Most high schools did look the same. The office was usually in the front. The counselor was always… somewhere close by. Most of the time, the school knew she was coming. In a werewolf town, news traveled fast if it involved a hunter stopping by. Only in major cities could she disappear into the background.

Jo stepped into the office and approached the counter. “I’m here to register as a new student.” She pulled the heavy file out of her bag and placed it down in front of the secretary.

She raised a brow then flipped slowly through the file. “Alright… I’ll get you entered into the system. In the meantime… you should stop by and see the counselor. He’ll handle your classes.” She waved her hand towards the chair across from her. “I’ll give him a call.”

Jo plastered on a sweet smile then took a seat.

The secretary made the phone call but Jo was too busy eying the room around her. Their mascot was a Falcon, the emblem posted in the middle of her desk. Red and white decorated the walls and doors. The furthest door read “PRINCIPAL” and on the opposite side was another door.

An older man stepped out of it and went straight to the secretary. She handed over the file and allowed him to look through it. Jo knew what he was reading. She had taken a peak at it a few times herself, curious to read all the tidbits about her own educational failings.

“Miss Ackland.” He waved her over. “Right this way.”

Jo stood up and slung her bag onto her shoulder. She followed after the man, not exactly eager to sit down and have a chat with him. She was a seasoned pro at moving to a new area and registering to a new school. Beth believed their work was more important and if that meant moving around a lot and missing school… well, it was just perks really.

He stepped into his office and rounded his desk, taking his seat casually. She closed the door behind her and sat down across from him, shoulders slumped and elbows pressed into the chair’s arms. He looked through the file a little more closely this time. Jo could see his expression taking a darker turn.

“I’m going to be forward with you, Miss Ackland… your grades are beyond low and you’re missing a major amount of credits required for graduation…”

Jo suppressed the smirk that was beginning to arise.

“It’s clear you’re not planning on staying in the district. You’ve been to five different school in the last two years. You’ve made no effort to attend your classes or keep your grades up…”

“Yeah well… my sister’s determined for me to run the family business instead.”

He leaned forward and folded his arms onto his desk. “We have a… low tolerance for students who have behavioral issues, do you understand me?”

Jo leaned forward, eyes narrowed. “I get it… you don’t like me or people like me.” She was a huntress, an Ackland. Towns like this hated Hunters. It wasn’t the first time she entered a werewolf town and got some heated lecture. And it wasn’t the first time a counselor had talked to her that way. A few had tried to give her the speech about her bright future but Jo only had one future planned out. It was the only future for an Ackland.

His brows flattened over his eyes. “Keep out of trouble and… we won’t have any problems. Sound good?”

Jo grinned, a dainty shrug of her shoulders as she spoke mockingly, “Sounds peachy. Hand me my class list and I’ll… go attend one just for you. I’ll even raise my hand when I have a question.”

His lips thinned. He leaned back and clattered a few things into the keyboard. Jo watched him click the mouse and the printer began its job. He handed her the pages that came out but his hard stare warned her he was serious. “Just show up… it’s all I ask. Our attendance here at Sugar Tree High is important. I don’t care about your grades at this point. Just attend.”

Jo stood up and nodded her head. She took the paper from him then headed out the door he pointed to. She found herself in one of the main hallways, lined with red lockers and classroom doors. She glanced over her class schedule and the room numbers, barely getting past the first one before it was snatched out of her hand.

“Looks like we’ve got a few classes in common.” Wyatt walked off with it, smirking a little too confidently.

Jo pretended to be annoyed but she wasn’t in the least. She followed after him with mild interest. It was somewhat nice having him around. It had to be the first time she attended a high school where she wasn’t avoided or given the death stare. Although, the day was still young.

He pulled a pen out of his back pocket and circled a few things here and put a star by one of them. Wyatt gave it back to her and added, “That one with the star… hardest class to get an A in but… I took it last year. I can help you whenever you need me.”

Jo tried not to chuckle. It was difficult to swallow back down. “Listen, wolf boy, I’m only here because your little town is dealing with a rogue werewolf.”

Wyatt’s expression hardened. He grabbed her arm and stepped closer, eyes sweeping across the other kids that walked by. “We don’t talk about that stuff here.” His hardened gaze met her narrowed stare. “No one in this town actually knows about that.”

“The rogue,” she whispered.

“Werewolves.” Wyatt let go of her arm but he still stood inches away from her. “Our family is respected in town just because we were part of its founding but… that’s it. They don’t know anything else.”

“Your family founded Sugar Tree?”

“Yeah… well, I mean…” Wyatt cleared his throat. “The Cohen family…”

Jo watched the corners of his mouth roll between his teeth. “And no one knows the truth about what you really are?”

“We keep to ourselves. It’s the way it’s always been here.”

Jo thought back on the counselor who had lectured her. He hadn’t been annoyed with her because of her heritage. It was because how much of a shitty student she was. It made her laugh. A hard, uncontained laugh that she hadn’t felt in so long. To think that she was just another student moving into the district like everyone else. She was a nobody.

Wyatt tried to suppress his smile but it was still pretty visible. “What? Why are you laughing?”

She shook her head and held up the class list. “So, where’s my first class?”

“This way. We have the same history class together.”

  
  



	3. Chapter 3

Jo tapped her foot and clutched the edge of her desk. Ten more minutes and she could finally grab some food from the lunchroom. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could endure sitting there. It was the first time she ever went to school for three hours straight without ditching or falling asleep. And everything the teacher said went right over her head. She missed the first few months of school but honestly, she never really attended school in the first place.

The moment the bell rang, she snagged her bag out from under her chair and rushed through the door. She all but barreled down the hallway to reach the lunchroom. Someone grabbed hold of her elbow and she jerked out of their grasp seconds after seeing Wyatt’s grin.

“Hate school already?” He tucked his hands into his pants pocket as if to console her that he wasn’t planning on grabbing her arm again. He joined the forming line with her. “How much homework do you have?”

She scoffed and tossed her shoulders. “I haven’t done my homework since I was in second grade. No point in starting it now.”

Wyatt laughed about it but then he asked casually, “If you need a study partner let me know. I can help out since you’re behind.”

Jo shoved her hands into her jacket, following behind the line of people towards the food. She didn’t want to admit to Wyatt that she wasn’t very good at reading. And she never attended school long enough to learn much about anything else. Weapons, though, she would talk all day about that. Fighting stances, too. Shakespeare not so much.

Wyatt grabbed a tray and pilled every bit of food onto it. He nudged his head for her to follow him. She grabbed what she wanted then trailed through the tables towards the small chattering group in the back corner. They were so busy talking they hadn’t bothered to look at Jo when she sat down.

Wyatt wordlessly grabbed some of the food off of his tray and put it onto hers. “Mike, you got time later to take a look at my ride?”

“Yeah.” The one sitting across the table dropped his french fry back onto his trey. “But what the hell did you do to her this time?”

Wyatt shook his head a few times. “Something sounded a little off yesterday.”

“Yeah, sure.” He finally looked at Jo, sizing her up before nudging his chin at her. “You that new girl?”

She cringed internally. She was so sick of hearing that question.

“Jo,” Wyatt informed.

“Nice. I like it.” Mike grinned approvingly. “I’m Mike.” He reached out and grabbed the shoulders of the two people sitting beside him. “This is my girl, Sammy, and this guy is…” He looked at him a little disgusted. “Just some guy we hang out with.”

He gasped in shock and leaned across the table. “I’m Devlin and I happen to be the glue that binds this little group together. You’re welcome.”

Mike grabbed a fry and stared disbelieving at him as he munched on it. “Glue? Are you fucking kidding me?”

Sammy grabbed her soda and swallowed it down with a smirk. “Don’t mind them. I’m glad there’s another girl in our group though. Sophie is usually here but she’s been so busy with that chemistry project…”

Wyatt nodded his head a few times. “How was she doing on it?”

Sammy tossed her head. “Don’t know. You should go by and ask her if you’re so interested.”

Wyatt’s lips tugged at their corners, a hardened bitterness about something she said. He rolled his attention back to Jo. He took one look at her tray and snapped up her drink. “Forgot mine,” he said and took down a slow swallow.

Jo huffed in annoyance but she honestly didn’t care that much. She grabbed her drink back from him and shook her head disapprovingly. “Maybe if you weren’t grabbing everything like a pig.”

He waved his finger over his tray and then hers. “I grabbed extras for everyone else.”

“Really? How come no one else got any?” She raised a brow as she sipped her drink.

“Fine.” Wyatt snatched a bowl of salad off her plate and put it down onto Devlin’s. “Happy?”

She jabbed her fork down into her peaches. “Not really. I was going to eat that.”

Devlin picked the salad bowl up cautiously before sliding it her away. “Back to what we were talking about earlier, tonight my parents are out of town.”

Jo ate her salad, half expecting the conversation to be about partying. It’s what she imagined normal teens doing with their free time.

“So if you bring another console over we can set up a gaming weekend.”

“We should stop by Sophie’s.” She looked over at Mike and patted his chest for confirmation. “I want to see how she’s doing.”

Mike nodded a few times in agreement.

Jo glanced at Wyatt to see his thoughts on the group conversation but he was busy looking over his shoulder at the student who was approaching. She sensed the sudden fluster of tension, the way he set his fork down and sat straighter.

“Wyatt,” he stated, looking over his shoulder at the lunchroom. “We need to talk.”

“Can’t.” He took Jo’s drink again and sipped it. “I’m having lunch right now.”

“Afterwards, then.” He looked over at Jo beside him with a hard stare. She gladly returned the glower without hesitation. She wasn’t sure what his problem was but she had a feeling it was her profession.

“I’ve got English.” Wyatt finally bothered to look at him, finally taking in the other man. “We can talk tomorrow.”

He leaned forward, his voice lowered but Jo could just barely make out the conversation, “Today. Text me when you’re ready.”

Wyatt didn’t reply but Jo saw the way he tightened his grip around his tray. He didn’t look at her until the other man left. “We should get to class.” He took her tray as well as his and began to walk off.

She looked back at the group but they quickly averted their attention down to their unfinished food. Jo followed Wyatt through the lunchroom. He dropped their trays off then headed down the hall. “What was that about?”

“After English class.” He tilted his head over at her, the tension melted into a softer smile. “You can come with me. It’ll piss them off more.”

Jo smirked. “I’m guessing… an unofficial pack meeting then?”

He tossed his shoulder, the annoyance somewhat returning. “Yeah. Something like that.”

Jo asked firmly, “How many?”

Wyatt heard the change in her tone, his steps slowing and his attention brought fully to her. “Not many. It’s nothing to stress about. They aren’t happy you’re here. And us spending all this time together, probably pissed them off more.”

Jo stepped closer, gaze narrowing. “How many are in the school?”

“Six… But maybe only four will show up. Most of us don’t get along.”

Her gaze slide across his expression, nodding her head absentmindedly. She turned away slowly and slid her hands into her pockets. Jo started down the hall but she looked back to make sure Wyatt was following. “English, huh?” She cringed internally. She hoped the class was large enough that she wouldn’t exist to the teacher.

God, she hated school. How many more hours did she had to put up with this.

~:~

“Jo, would you please read the next page?”

She swept her gaze up at the teacher standing at her podium. She had the book open but she hadn’t been following along in the least. Some of the students read so softly that she couldn’t hear them to save her life and she couldn’t read half the words on her page.

She only had two choices. She could piss the teacher off and be removed from the class or make a poor and embarrassing attempt to read. She definitely didn’t want Wyatt to know that her reading skills were on an elementary level. But she if she made a scene… she imagined it would be a little shocking to him as well.

Wyatt muttered under his breath, “Page 148.”

She glanced at him in the desk beside her then the teacher. Jo brought out her sweetest smile, borderline sarcastic, “It’s my first day and… I’ve been reading the front of the book so I know what’s going on. I’d hate to read ahead and get spoilers.”

Her crumpled expression softened and then she grinned in childish delight. “Of course! Catch up while the rest of continue on.”

Jo smiled as best she could before returning her attention to the book. Her heart was racing. She wasn’t sure what was worse. Staring down a vampire or trying to lie to save her ass in front of Wyatt. And then it embarrassingly occurred to her that she actually cared about what he thought about her. Perhaps it was a sense of humanity, a feeling of existence that she hadn’t felt before. But there was something about him that she… liked.

She glanced over at Wyatt then stared quizzically at his furrowed brows. He averted his attention back to his desk, fingers pressed into the corner of his page. But he wasn’t reading anymore. His eyes were frozen in place. She watched his uneasiness until the bell rang. She shoved her book into her bag and followed the crowd of students out into the hall.

Jo tried ignoring Wyatt as he followed behind her. She opened her locker and shoved the reading books into the empty space. She expected him to say something but he only stood there beside her locker with a burning stare. Jo finally rolled her eyes to him. “What?”

Wyatt ever so slightly shook his head but his attention was still just as empty as before. He was still looking at her for some sort of answer.

“Seriously.” She leaned her shoulder into the edge of her locker and folded her arms. “What?”

He stepped closer to her, voice as soft as he could make it but loud enough for her to hear him in the busy hallway. “Jo…”

“Wyatt,” she retorted.

He peered up at her, his fingers fidgeting with the metal corner of her locker door. “You… can’t read, can you?”

Jo clenched her jaw. She stepped away from him and grabbed the locker door. He moved his hand just before she slammed it shut. “I’ve got to get to my next class.”

“Jo,” Wyatt grabbed her hand.

Surprisingly, she didn’t pull away from him like she thought she would. His fingers were calloused and warm, his thumb sliding across the curve of her palm. It made her heart jolt and god did she enjoy the feeling of it swooning low in her chest.

Wyatt spoke softly, “It’s not a big deal.”

Her hand squeezed around his, just for a moment to take in the touch of another person. But then she pulled away from him and headed down the hall. “Micro… biology, right?” Jo looked back at him for confirmation.

He bit the corner of his mouth. “Yeah.” He quickened his pace until he was walking beside her. “Don’t sit in the back. Powell hates people who sit in the back.”

“Maybe I like people hating me.” She peered up at his smirk.

Wyatt licked his lips and smiled.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



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